Evangelical Repentance. 233 lings You have formmen takea great deal ofpains, rife ,,CarlyAnd go to bed late, andyet the world does not fmile upon them : thefe are the world's enemies. Some take pains,and grow rich thereby ;thefe are the worlds friends. Others there are again,that beforeever they take any pains the Lord is upon themwith tkeworlds bleffings; thele are the worlds darlings. So 1 fay, God hath his darlings ; and if thou art one of Gods darlings, He does caufe the Kingdom ofHeaven, Grace, and Free-remiffion toappear and draw neer unto thy foul, even before thoudoll draw neer to it. Hath God dealt thus by any ofyou ? Oh ! con- template, confider ferioufly the fweetnefs of this grace. Beloved ! preventing grace, is fweet grace. The Lord gave a Crown, a Kingdom toDavid; but the ben Pearle in all the Crown, that his eye was moil upon, was Gods preven- ting mercy : Lord ( faies he) thou haft preventedme with the goodnefs ofthy biding. As if he had faid thus; Lord, thou haft not only given me a kingdom, made me a King over thy people ; but when I was a poor Shepheard, keeping my fathers cheep thou diddeft prevent me with thy love. So may a poor foul fay, Ali, Lord, thou haft not only gi- ven me a kingdom, but thou haft prevented me with thy love. 'Tis a great matter, that the great God of Heaven and Earth fhould anCvver our prayers, give, us any mercy upon our requeft I, but that the Lord should give us the greateit rnercie before we come for it. Pray good people mark it a little, Ye fhall obferve, that the greatenmercies that ye have ; ye have them,and they are given unto you before you come for them. There are force great mercies that a Chrinian bath : as Converfion of his foul, Nifica- tion , Remiffionof fin : Some Idler mercies ; as comfort, and peace, and outward plenty. As for thefe leffer mercies,God gives themwhenwe do come for them : but as for the great Mercies ; Remiffionoffin ; ofou r perfons ; Con- verfion of our fouls, God is upon us with thefe mercies be- fore we come for them : Oh ! what grace is here ! Oh ! what glorious, rich grace is here ! What ! fhall we not Mm z nand
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=